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Last month, the New York Foundling marked the completion of a major affordable and supportive housing complex in amenity-rich Harlem. The complex will become a new model for helping youth who are aging out of foster care and exiting the shelter system.
Among the residents of the brand-new, 17-story residential tower at 126 West 126th Street are 70 young people leaving foster care and the shelter system moving into 51 supportive housing apartments. The homes come with extensive on-site services to support their independence, from counseling and therapy to mentorship and job training. The program has a remarkable success rate: for the past four years, 95% of young people in The Foundling’s scatter-site supportive housing have successfully transitioned within two years to living independently, whether in market rate or traditional income-restricted homes they may qualify for.
“The New York Foundling was created more than 150 years ago to serve infants and children who were at risk of falling through society’s cracks. Their enduring ethos is encapsulated in this $93 million supportive housing development, which sits at the heart of the new Urban Empowerment Center,” said RuthAnne Visnauskas, Commissioner of the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal. “We know that the young people moving into this tremendous building will have the support they need to grow confidently into adulthood. I am proud of the role the state has played in financing this mixed-use development, the ingenuity and vision of our partners, and the determination that Governor Kathy Hochul consistently displays in seeking solutions to our shared housing crisis.”
“ESD is proud to partner with The New York Foundling to open this amazing new supportive housing project in the heart of Harlem, that is a key feature of the broader Urban Empowerment Center on 126 Street. Quality housing and economic development go hand-in-hand, and The New York Foundling’s unique approach combines housing access with programs that promote economic opportunity – unlocking the enormous personal potential of these young, resilient New Yorkers,” Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said.
The new housing is part of a large mixed-use development project known as the Urban Empowerment Center. On Harlem’s 125th Street, the Center will bring the new headquarters, museum and institute for the National Urban League, offices for One Hundred Black Men of New York, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the United Negro College Fund, and Virginia Union University; and retail, including a Target and a Trader Joe’s. The project’s development partners are BRP Companies, L+M Development Partners, Taconic Partners, and The Prusik Group. Financing for the project came from New York State, Goldman Sachs, Santander Bank, and Redstone Equity Partners.
About 1,000 young adults, 18 to 26 years old, age out of foster care in New York City each year. Many are at risk of homelessness and face obstacles finding housing, securing employment, completing school, and building a support system to guide them forward. Supportive housing residents are provided with affordable and fully furnished apartments, and they are paired with The Foundling staff who guide them in achieving financial, academic, and vocational goals.
“After many years of discussing, planning and finally constructing, we are now able to witness the transformative moment of awarding a young person the keys to their own apartment. Through the efforts of local elected officials, public and private partnerships, and a great deal of luck, we can now celebrate these well-deserving individuals who have earned this opportunity after waiting, in some instances, years to enjoy their own safe, stable environment that they can call their own. This will afford them the sense of independence and security they have long awaited. Everyone is deserving of quality affordable housing, and I am proud of the efforts I helped to bring negotiating the level of affordability to keep this project accessible to middle- and low-income residents,” said New York State Assembly Member Inez E. Dickens. “I would like to thank The New York Foundling’s Melanie Hartzog, Division for Home and Community Renewal’s Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas, the Office of Temporary Disability Assistance, Commissioner Barbara C. Quinn and the National Urban League for collaborating on this project of hope, right here on Harlem’s famed 125th Street.”
